Bottle, flask or the like container closure and dispensing device



Jan. 9, 1962 H. BECHER 3,016,171

BOTTLE, FLASK OR THE LIKE CONTAINER CLOSURE AND DISPENSING DEVICE Filed May 26, 1958 v WWII IIIII/l IN VE N T 0/? HEINRICH BEG/1Z7? Wed a Pag 3,016,171 BOTTLE, FLASK OR THE LIKE CONTAINER CLO- SURE AND DISPENSING DEVICE Heinrich Becher, Hauptstrasse, Uckerath Bezirk Koln, Germany v Filed May 26, 1958, Ser. No. 737,902 Claims priority, application Germany May 29, 1957 2 Claims. (Cl. 222-488) This invention concerns a closure and dispensing device for bottles, flasks and the like containers, and is intendedto fulfil a two-fold purpose, namely, on the one hand to render possible the filling of the container with a liquid and, the dispensing of the liquid from the container, and on the other hand simultaneously to serve as an automatic closure.

A closure which fulfills this two-fold purpose comprises, in accordance with the present invention, a hollow cap having a region adapted tightly to embrace the neck of said container and formed immediately above said region with one or more spaced vent apertures, said cap terminating at its free end in a conically tapering portion or tip formed with a liquid flow opening, an elongated vent pipe adapted to extend into said container and having at its upper end, a disc adapted to rest and to be retained on said container neck by means of said cap, said disc being formed with one or more transversely extending passages respectively communicating directly with the vent aperture or apertures in said cap and with a longitudinal bore in said vent pipe, said disc being further formed with one or more through bores arranged parallel to the disc axis to allow liquid flow through said disc, a ball valve member seated in a recess or trough provided in the disc face remote from said vent pipe, and a hollow, substantially conical closure member extending through the opening in the cap tip and arranged resiliently to stand on said ball valve member whereby normally to seal said opening, the arrangement being such that axially inward pressure exerted on said closure member coupled with inversion of said container enables liquid to flow therefrom through the bores in said disc for dispensing from the clearance between said tip and the depressed closure member.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings,

'in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a bottle having a closure constructed in accordance with the invention,

FIG. 2 is a vertical section through the closure, with the bottle upright,

FIG. 3 is a section taken on the line III-III of FIG. 2, with the bottle in the dispensing position,

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the closure, and

FIG. 5 a section taken on the line VV.of FIG. 2.

The closure showing the drawings, comprises a cap 2 which has a region tightly embracing the neck 1 of the bottle, and which terminates above the mouth of the bottle in a conically tapering portion or tip 8,, The cap 2 preferably consists of a flexible synthetic material such that the cap can easily he slipped over the bottle neck. Above the neck of the bottle, the cap 2 is provided with two vent apertures 4 and 5, and the conical portion 3 has an opening 6. A vent pipe 7 projects into the bottle and at its upper end carries a disc 8 which is located on the neck of the bottle and, as shown more particularly in FIGS. 2 and 3, is pressed firmly on the neck of the bottle by the cap, which retains it securely in this position. The disc 8 has two transverse passages 9 and 10 which directly communicate, on the one hand, with a longitudinal bore 11 of the vent pipe 7, and with the two vent apertures 4 and 5 of the cap 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the

I 2 disc 8 has two vertical through bores 12 and 13 which do not communicate with the transverse-passages 9 and 10; Formed in the top of the disc 8 is a recess or trough 14 conta ning a ball valve member 15. Standing on this ball valve member is a closuremember 16 sealing the upper opening 6 in the cap 2, 3 and having a substantially conical shape. The closure member 16 ishollow, and its lower part is longitudinally'notched' to form feet 17, 18 and so forth, which enable the closure member 16 to stand on the ball member 15. The dimensions of the abovementioned parts, the depth'ofthe cap 2, 3, the size of the valve ball member15, and the length of the feet 17, 18 are such that in the normal, rest position, the upper opening 6 is tightly closed by, the closure member 16.

The manner in which the closure proposed by the invention operates is as follows: 'I

To fill the bottle, the latter is inverted and inserted into the mouthpiece of a storage container provided with an immersion piston pump, the closure member 16 which passes through the upper opening 6 in the cap 2, 3 being pushed into the interior of the cap under the pressure exerted by the immersion pump. This is facilitated by the feature that the feet 17, 18 resulting from the notching of the lower edge of the closure member 16 are some- What spread apart. The closure member 16 preferably consists of a flexible synthetic material.

When the filling is completed, the feet 17, 18 spread apart by the pressure exerted by the immersion piston pump, slide upwardly again owing to their elasticity, so that the Opening 6 is closed by the closure member 16, as shown in FIG. 2.

In order to dispense liquid from the bottle, it is first inverted as shown in FIG. 3 and the closure member 16 pressed inwardly with the thumb, the feet 17, 18 and so on, being spread apart again. The liquid in the bottle can then flow out through the opening 6, and through the bores 12 and 13 in the disc 8.

Both during filling and dispensing, air can escape through the bores 11 and the passages 9 and 10 and also the openings 4 and 5 or, during the dispensting of the liquid, can flow into the bottle in the reverse direction.

What I claim is:

1. A container closure and dispensing device comprising a hollow cap having one end providing a region adapted to embrace tightly the neck of said container and formed immediately above said region with at least one vent aperture, said cap having another end terminating in a conically tapering tip formed with a liquid flow opening, an elongated vent pipe having a longitudinal bore adapted to extend into said container and having at its upper end a disc adapted to rest and to be retained on said container neck by means of said cap, said disc having an axis and being formed with at least one transversely extending passage communicating directly with at least one vent aperture in said cap and with said longitudinal bore in said vent pipe, said disc being'further formedwith at least one through bore arranged parallel to the disc axis to allow liquid flow through said disc, a member converging towards said tip seated in a recess provided in the disc face remote from. said vent pipe, and a hollow, substantially conical closure member extending through the opening in the cap tip and having integral therewith a resilient expansible base supported on said converging member whereby normally to seal said opening, the arrangement being such that axially inward pressure exerted on said closure member coupled with inversion of said container produces expansion of said base and enables liquid to flow through the bore in said disc for dispensing from the clearance between said tip and the depressed closure member, said base member having a longitudinally ldatented Jan. 9, I962 notched lower edge to provide a plurality of spaced feet engaging said converging member.

2. A container closure and dispensing device comprising a hollow cap havingxone end providing a region adapted to embrace tightly the neck of said container and formed immediately above said region with at least one ventaperture, said cap having another end terminating in a conically tapering tip formed with a liquid flow opening, an elongated'vent pipe having a longitudinal bore adapted to extend into said container and having at its upper end a disc integral therewith adapted to rest and to be retained on said container neck by means of said cap, said cap slidably housing said disc, said disc having an axis and being formed withat least one transversely extending passage communicating directly with at least one vent aperture in said cap and with said longitudinal bore in said vent pipe, said disc being further formed with at least one through bore arranged parallel to the disc axis to allow liquid flow through said disc, a member converging towards said tip seated in a recess provided in the disc face remote from said vent pipe, and a hollow, substantially conical closure member extending through the opening in the cap tip and having integral therewith a resilient expansible base supported on said converging member whereby normally to seal said opening, the arrangement being such that axially inward pressure exerted on said closure member coupled with inversion of said container produces expansion of said base and enables liquid to flow through the bore in said disc for dispensing from the clearance between said tip and the depressed closure member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,067,523 Kendall July 15, 1913 1,791,350 Caronn Feb. 3, 1931 2,008,454 Klein July 16, 1935 2,401,674 Vizay June 4, 1946 

